2024 MLB Cy Young Odds: AL & NL Favorites, Predictions

Starting pitchers might have lost some importance in this new era of baseball, but there is still something special about watching the best pitchers take the mound every handful of days.

In 2023, those pitchers were Gerrit Cole of the New York Yankees and Blake Snell, who is now pitching for the San Francisco Giants after playing for the San Diego Padres last year.

Cole won the American League Cy Young award for his first such honor. Snell became the seventh pitcher to win in both leagues after claiming last year’s National League Cy Young award.

So, who will be the best hurlers in 2024? MLB betting odds can help shed some insight on who might win this year’s Cy Young awards.

AL Cy Young Odds: Favorites

Cole initially opened as the betting favorite after winning last year’s award, but this race is wide open now that he’s sidelined with an injury.

After Cole’s injury, Corbin Burnes was installed as the betting favorite. He is the ace Baltimore desperately needs after last year’s 101-win season ended without a playoff victory.

Detroit Tigers left-hander Tarik Skubal, currently the most significant liability in this market, has become a co-favorite with Burnes. Skubal’s odds have gone from +1800 to +600 since the spring.

Picking a long shot in this wide-open race seems like the best option, especially at the rate pitchers get injured. It also allows bettors to add to their portfolio throughout the season.

My favorite bet is Seattle Mariners right-hander George Kirby, who has dropped from +1600 to +2500 after his first handful of starts. Kirby still has the stuff to be one of the best pitchers in the league, spinning below a 3.40 ERA in each of his first two seasons.

Kirby will start to find a rhythm this season, and his odds will certainly move when he does.

Prediction: George Kirby (+2500)

NL Cy Young Odds: Favorites

Spencer Strider started as the clear favorite in this market following last year’s fourth-place finish in NL Cy Young voting. In 32 starts, he recorded 20 wins, 281 strikeouts, and a 3.86 ERA.

But Strider has been taken off the board since sustaining a season-ending injury.

Philadelphia Phillies ace Zack Wheeler is now the betting favorite, with his odds moving from +750 to +450.

Still, this market has featured multiple long-shot winners in recent years.

• 2020: Trevor Bauer (+2500)
• 2021: Corbin Burnes (+3500)
• 2022: Sandy Alcántara (+1600)
• 2023: Blake Snell (+3500)

Once again, it seems appropriate to search further down the board to make these MLB betting picks.

The Braves need someone to step up after Strider’s injury, and Max Fried offers the most intriguing upside on the staff. His odds have fallen from +2000 to +4000 since the season began, but now might be the time to scoop up his value.

Fried went 8-1 with a 2.55 ERA in 14 starts last year and hasn’t posted higher than a 3.04 ERA since 2019. Fried is a solid bet at his current price, assuming he shoulders more responsibility for a depleted staff.

Prediction: Max Fried (+4000)

2023 AL Cy Young Voting

2023 NL Cy Young Voting

List of AL & NL Cy Young Winners

*There was only one award for both leagues from 1956-66.

Players With Most Cy Young Awards

Roger Clemens has won the most Cy Young Awards (seven):

Roger Clemens: 7
Randy Johnson: 5
Greg Maddux: 4
Steve Carlton: 4

Teams With Most Cy Young Awards

The Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers have the most Cy Young Awards (12):

Dodgers: 12
Braves: 7
Mets: 7
Phillies: 7
Red Sox: 7

Has a Rookie Ever Won the Cy Young Award?

Fernando Valenzuela is the only rookie to win the Cy Young.

As a 21-year-old for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1981, Valenzuela won the NL Cy Young. He was led the MLB in strikeouts and won NL Rookie of the Year in leading the Dodgers to the World Series.